A Secret Found Out
by WorshipperOfObito
Summary: Sakura Learns About Kyuubi. No Love At least, not intentional , Just Friendship. Wait, no... i guess they can love each other in the end. Ah! It's an official Narusaku.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto

_Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto._

_Summary-Sakura learns Naruto's secret, stuff happens, maybe unintentional love between Sakura and Naruto. A little OOC in some cases, but who hasn't done that before?_

A SECRET FOUND OUT

It was embedded in his chest. The blade that was aimed at… was meant for her.

"N-naru…to…" the pink haired kunoichi whispered as her comrade coughed a few crimson droplets. Their current enemy, a man by the name of Junchi, looked slightly surprised by the interception. Having been previously drained of both stamina and chakra on their mission to iwagakure (plus the army blocking their goal), the blonde had barely managed to push himself in between the attackers swing and his precious teammate.

"D-don't you dare… try to hurt Sakura-Chan." He growled, barely able to make it sound threatening in his current state. Junchi's expression went from a shocked frown to a mocking grin.

"What can you possibly accomplish in your position?" He twisted his katana before ripping it free, causing Naruto to involuntarily stumble back.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered again in disbelief before her shaking knees brought her down.

"Here comes number two! This time I'll hit your wench!" their enemy grinned, swinging his sword in another wide arch. Naruto barely managed to arm himself with a kunai and pull into a half upright position before it crashed down. The shock trembled his body as he coughed once more, but he managed to stay strong against the force.

"You…" he slammed his foot under Naruto's guard and knocked him back, "BRAT!"

Blood streamed down from his fresh wounds. He knew the moment a chain of wracking coughs began that he wouldn't be able to defend both himself and Sakura now.

'_D-Damnit… I can't breathe!' _his mind panicked as he desperately tried to calm himself.

"**Kid…your lucky I'm around. Hurry up and let me out!"** A familiar voice replied.

'_N-no… Not with S-Sakura-'_ Naruto's thoughts were cut short as the demon fox growled.

"**Do you have a choice?!" **As if making a point against him, Junchi began making hand signs. Sakura had slid closer to him, kunai in hand, ready to defend if necessary. The coughing had just subsided and he looked weakly up at Sakura's still slightly shaken face. Though scared, she kept a determined glint in her eyes, her hope not completely lost yet. Naruto sat up slowly, wincing in pain as he opened his bloody hand to grab her arm.

"Sakura…I'm sorry…"He whispered. She briefly glanced at him before returning her gaze back to their attacker just as his hand signs ceased.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" He stated with a sneer. At that exact moment, Naruto was at his throat, the real ones' throat, kunai in hand. His eyes burned with pure hatred and a touch of bliss.

"**Now, what were you saying? Something about… me not able,"** he brought the knife closer, **"to beat a worthless…"**

N-no! Please-" Junchi pleaded, suddenly terrified.

"**Pathetic… Shithead like you in my condition? Huh?!"** the knife was instantly driven through the villains' throat in a splash of red, a grin of satisfaction spreading across the kyyubi's face. Staring down at his victim, he felt a sense of darkness beg for more blood before a shaky voice averted his attention.

"W-wh-what…are y-you?!" Sakura's body shook more than her words. Kyyubi's blood red eyes burned into hers before returning to their normal azure. He looked like he felt, regretful and obviously hurting, even though his wounds were gone due to kyyubi's power. He seemed to study her momentarily before realizing how frightened she was.

"Sakura, I-" he reached a desperate hand toward her and frown when she flinched back. "I'm so… sorry, that I didn't tell you Sakura. I kinda figured it would be like this." He looked hurt, his pained gaze retreating from her to the floor." Finally the kunoichi looked up. This felt wrong. Naruto was… he just…

"Naruto…" She started before a scroll was lobbed in her direction. Their mission had been to retrieve it in the first place. Her teammate was now facing her, a sad smile plastered on his face. A shaky humorless laugh escaped from his lips shortly after.

"Heh-heh. You don't need to say anything. I get it. Lets go home." The boy stood quietly before a small hand gripped his jacket.

"Your injuries…are you okay?" she hesitantly asked. Naruto gently pulled her hand away, slowly stepping back as she stood.

"Are you sure you're alright, Naruto?" She tried again. He nodded and began walking toward the exit (A convenient, previously made hole in the wall). _'One more…'_ Sakura tried. She sped up to catch up to the blond and walked a few steps with him before smiling, "Thank you… for saving me. If you hadn't of come between Junchi, and me well…" she blushed as she tried to search for any sign of the injury. He picked up the pace, obviously trying to lose her.

"Hey! What's the big idea?! I was just-" Sakura's words were quickly cut off by a dark glare from he comrade.

"What is it you want from me? You saw it… that demon that possessed me! I couldn't hold it back! You would've died! Listen Sakura, I don't want sympathy, and I don't want you to hate me if I say it, but right now I want to be left alone!" he stated before taking off toward the village.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto

Sakura and Naruto were in a state of awkwardness every day, with the kunoichi trying to learn more about Naruto and Naruto doing everything in his power to avoid her. Everyone, especially Kakashi could tell there was something going on, but no one dared interfere, what with Naruto's shore temper and Sakura's persistence. After about five days of avoiding silent stares and mouthing responses to everything, the blonde decided to take it to the person he felt he could trust in any situation.

"Iruka-sensei, I kinda have a problem." He admitted. They had decided to meet up at their usual place, Ichiraku's ramen stand, and talk over… well, ramen.

"I've noticed you've been awfully quiet lately, especially around Sakura. Are you two fighting or something?" Iruka asked curiously as he slurped down some steaming noodles. Naruto looked down at his untouched bowl before answering in a low voice.

"Well, a couple days ago, on a mission to iwagakure, this guy, um…Jin-something was trying to kill Sakura, so I stepped in, got impaled, couldn't-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Hold on. You got yourself _impaled?!" _ The teacher stood, outraged. "Naruto, why are you so wreckle-"

"Sakura knows about the demon fox." Naruto interrupted bluntly before Iruka could finish his usual lecture. He had to sit back down after that. His look was almost worried as the boy added, "I had no other choice. We were both about to die." He spat this out in a whisper, disgusted with himself, angry that he was forced to carry this burden.

"How much does she know Naruto?" The sensei asked seriously, breaking his train of guilt. He sighed in reply before stating sadly, "Enough to know I'm a monster…" Iruka felt a pang of sympathy as his former student spilled his feelings. He looked up suddenly as Naruto added, "Now she's poking around for clues of what I am and I'm worried that she might get hurt. I like Sakura, she's my teammate, and I don't know what I'd do if I accidentally hurt her." He sighed and put his head down on the table, arms folded on front of his face so Iruka couldn't see it. Now Iruka was worried. Even in his worst moods, Naruto never disregarded a bowl of ramen so completely before. Placing a hand on his back, Iruka smiled gently, "well, how about I get lady Hokage to give you two a break for a while, hm? Especially more B-ranked ones. Is that all right?" he got a half-hearted nod from the boy before he sat up and pulled his bowl closer to take a bite.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto

"Lady Hokage, please. Naruto needs it! Give him a break!" Iruka stated, unintentionally raising his voice. Tsunade looked back coolly before replying, "If I give him a break, soon everyone's gonna want a break and no one will be working. Now unless he's injured to a point of immobility or his excuse is really, really good…"

"But Tsunade-sama, It is a good excuse!" Iruka protested before mouthing a "Sorry," for interrupting her. She then leaned forward on her crowded desk and grinned, "Hit me." Sighing, Iruka walked forward, and with a lowered voice, he whispered, "Sakura found out about Kyuubi and Naruto's worried about her safety. They haven't been able to focus on their missions clearly, what with Sakura trying to learn more about him and Naruto constantly trying to shut her out." He ended his explanation with another sigh and hoped she'd agree to his wishes. Tsunade could tell that this would pose a problem in the long run if they left it unsettled. After a moment of silence, she said in a serious tone, "Alright, but someone has to tell Sakura to keep it to herself. It's important that this doesn't get out. Understand?" Iruka smiled in relief. He bowed in thanks before answering.

"Yes. Thank you Lady Hokage. I appreciate it, and I'm sure Naruto will be relieved, too." He walked toward the door and opened it before a quick "Wait!" Stopped him. He turned to face the voice, Shizune's, and replied politely, "Yes?" Shizune, who had heard the entire conversation, now looked seriously back at the teacher, a frown clear on her face.

"Naruto was seen leaving the village. I assumed it was for a mission, but he was alone. I was planning to tell Tsunade-Sama before you came in and-" She was quickly interrupted by the simultaneous "What?!" from Tsunade and Iruka as they both charged toward the door. _'He couldn't be thinking of… could he?'_ Iruka wondered worriedly. Surely Naruto wouldn't consider disappearing on them for good?

"Tsunade! You have to stay here! Iruka and me will go." Shizune proclaimed, grabbing the mistress by the wrist. She hesitantly stopped trying to break free from her assistant's grasp.

"…Fine. But bring Sakura. My guess is that she has something to do with this."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto

"Well, I knew it would come to this sooner or later." Naruto mumbled to himself dully. He had been walking for about an hour or so, purposely wandering from the road and paying no mind to the unfamiliar land surrounding him. It was too quiet for his taste, so he'd passed the time by having a one sided conversation with himself.

"Well, its okay I left. I didn't have enough for this months rent anyway. It's not like anyone's gonna miss me. After all, I'm a…" his own thoughts were depressing him. Finally he decided to take a break. The trees were all big and close together. Perfect. He launched himself up the closest one until he found a thick sturdy branch to relax on. At this point, he realized just how hungry he was. Earlier with Iruka, he hadn't finished his ramen, and his plan hadn't been so well thought out, therefore he lacked everything but his clothes and the ninja gear he had never bothered to remove.

"Well, it could be worse." He mumbled, flopping stomach down, arms and legs dangling from the branch lazily. His cheek rested on the rough bark as he thought of who, what, and when people would notice his absence. Probably Iruka, Kakashi, Grandma Tsunade eventually… Konohamaru, Hinata, Sak-

"Sakura…" Naruto felt strange as he said her name aloud. She was nosy, but that was to be expected, right? I mean… anyone would be curious if their teammate turned into a terrifying, uncontrollable, bloodthirsty demon, wouldn't they? Naruto tried to make sense of his own thoughts, hoping to understand how he could explain without her…

"Aw c'mon! Gimme a break here!" He scowled at himself, probably more worked up from hunger than anything else.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto

"So that's why he turned all scary like that…" Sakura noted to herself. Funny, Naruto didn't seem as terrifying as Iruka and Shizune had made him out to be.

"Yes, but you have to keep it a secret, understand? No one else can know about this." Iruka said sternly. Sakura nodded; glad to finally know the truth.

"So, where do you think he went?" Shizune asked, scanning the forest for any hint of orange. Sakura thought of all the possibilities, worried about what could happen to him.

"Well, knowing him…" Iruka muttered thoughtfully, "He'd go somewhere completely random and off course." Sakura thought quickly of what Naruto might've had in mind before jumping into the woods alongside the road they'd been searching on.

"Sakura? What are you doing?!" Shizune called. Sakura turned to her only briefly, a grin on her face.

"I'm thinking like Naruto!" She replied. Iruka and Shizune glanced at each other briefly before taking off after the kunoichi. She had sped up considerably; it was getting darker out. Soon the sun would set and it would be harder to find the missing ninja. He could be miles away by now, thought Sakura worriedly as she leapt from branch to branch, searching with quiet hopes for his safety. She was so busy thinking that she almost missed it… a flash of orange in the green of the leaves.

"Naruto…" She breathed with a sigh of relief, slowing down to make sure it was really him and not just some wishful illusion. She had been correct. It was Naruto, snoozing quite comfortably in the branches of a large oak. He looked so peaceful, yet there was a troubled angle in his brow, as if his dreams were of his current situation. Iruka and Shizune soon joined her, both noting the fact that their target was asleep, thus being as quiet as possible.

"He's pretty far from home." Shizune noted, examining him quickly for any injuries. Iruka lifted him gently and nodded to his current search team. They made off into the woods in the direction they came until they were back on the road. Naruto didn't even stir as they walked him back into the village to be greeted by a worried Tsunade, who, after seeing the boy was fine, returned to her office. Shizune followed her quickly, leaving Sakura and Iruka to bring Naruto home. When they got to his apartment, the pink haired girl realized that her teammate lived right across from her house. Iruka opened the already unlocked door and walked in. Clicking on a nearby switch, she saw how small his home really was… and how simple it was.

"So this is Naruto's apartment?" Sakura asked, looking around. It was literally a small place, one floor, one bathroom, a small cluttered table, separating kitchen from living room. He had a microwave, no stove though. One of his three cabinets was open, revealing only a few packets of ramen. His fridge was in a far corner, but Sakura thought it rude to go through his things. Iruka walked through the practically empty living room (a couch and a simple wall hanging) to a door on the far side. It was open, Naruto's room on the other side. His room was messier than the rest of his house. There were scrolls, notes and clothes in random piles across the floor. His bureau was slightly less cluttered; a picture of team seven, a stack of unidentifiable papers, a deflated froggie wallet, and a jar that had the letters RENT written down the side in orange letters. The clear jar obviously didn't hold nearly enough needed for even one of the cheapest homes in Konoha. In fact it barely had enough for an average weeks worth of groceries. The teacher had already placed Naruto in his bed (Which was too small, Sakura noticed) and was walking toward his bureau. Reaching into his back pocket, he swiftly pulled out his own wallet.

"Don't tell." He whispered to Sakura, "He rarely has enough money for the rent. I have no idea how he paid for this place before he became a ninja and earned some money. But still, living without parents is tough. I'm surprised he's gotten this far by himself." Dropping a crisp wad of tens into the jar, he smiled and hoped it would help cover the price. Both him and Sakura were then startled by a gentle moan from Naruto as he curled deeper into comfort, pulling his shoe-clad feet onto the bed with the rest of him. Smiling, Iruka slipped out of his room, Sakura close behind, but instead of heading toward the exit, the teacher snuck into the kitchen and took a peek in the fridge. This too was practically empty, save a pint of milk and some leftover ramen.

"Hn, Naruto… you really need a better diet. You can't have ramen for every meal. At least but something healthy from time to time." Iruka muttered to himself as Sakura watched curiously. That curiosity took her to one of the cabinets. She hesitantly pulled it open, but there was only dishware. The only unopened cabinet had some scrolls inside, basic things, like the nature of different chakras and history stories. She was just about to close the door when the teacher reached deep in and pulled out a ridiculously dusty scroll.

"C'mere Sakura." He said, leading her to the lonely couch. She took a spot next to her former sensei as he opened the scroll. At first, she was unable to identify what it was about, but after a second of browsing, she realized that it was a simple explanation about the nine-tailed demon fox.

'_**The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, A.K.A. Kyuubi to many people, was the last of nine tailed beasts of tremendous power. Its chakra levels were immeasurable and it was said to create disaster and misfortune wherever it went. After attacking the mighty Konoha Village, The demon was to be sealed away by their fourth lord, Minato the Yellow Flash, hopefully forever.' **_

"Hey, what're you two doing here?" a dazed voice asked, interrupting Sakura's reading. She turned to see her teammate leaning tiredly against the doorframe of his room. In his right hand, he held Iruka's wad if tens.

"Naruto, I'm glad your okay. What were you thinking?" Iruka demanded in a gentle voice. His eyes were locked on the money as Naruto walked the short distance to him.

"I guess I wasn't. Should've brought a snack or something." He laughed sadly as he placed said money on the table in front of his teacher before adding, "Thanks but no thanks. I can't lean on other people too much or I'll take advantage of them. Heh…" he then glanced at Sakura with a hint of wonder. She smiled in response as Iruka was left awestruck at his friends' mature words.

"W-well, keep it anyways." Iruka tried, "I know you need it more than me. I mean, consider it pay during your break." The blonde glanced at him, a grin spreading across his face.

"She actually agreed to give us a couple days off? That's one I never thought would work out in our favor." Se trotted to Sakura and flopped quite lazily beside her.

"Hear that, Sakura? We get a while off-- what're you reading?" before the kunoichi could reply, the boy snatched the dusty parchment from her and read the first line aloud in the form of mutters. A blink of realization later, his brows angled and he closed his eyes in concentration. His hands gripped the paper so tightly it crumbled the corners.

"Sakura, I have to tell you something… but you'll probably hate me for it later-" Naruto began, only to have Sakura's hand fall over his mouth to shush him.

"I know everything. Iruka told me that it's your biggest secret, too… so you can trust me to keep it safe. Naruto, I wont hate you if you don't hate me for being nosy. Forgive me?" she shocked him with her outright wish for his forgiveness when it was him who should've been asking for hers. Finally he smiled and pulled her into a friendly hug. She had no time to even react as his arms wrapped around her neck in a relieved embrace.

"Yeah… I forgive you. Thanks for being so forgiving. I was tearing myself apart about how you'd react." He sighed. 'So warm' Sakura breathed in her mind, surrendering to the embrace, even hugging him back. They stayed like that for about another minute, Iruka looking on with a smile._ 'This was what I've been waiting for'_, Naruto thought as he let her go. The both looked at each other's red faces, an awkward silence taking place.

"So you really forgive me?" Sakura asked, smiling. Naruto returned her smile and answered, "Like I said before; you forgive me, I'll forgive you 'tebayo!" he gave her a casual thumbs up before Iruka pointed out that it was late and that Sakura's parents would worry if she were late. The teacher and girl waved a quick goodbye seconds later and hurried out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer; Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto

"Evicted?!" Sakura yelled, shocked at the boys' explanation. She had went to see if Naruto was home after a day of shopping on her last day off, only to find him napping on his mattress, which was barely balanced on four boxes full of his belongings.

"Yup. I got kicked out yesterday. I already sold my table, couch and bureau, so my savings are being stacked up for a new place. The landlord wasn't very nice anyway." He shrugged it off, completely disregarding Sakura's shocked expression. After a moment of Naruto rambling on about his awful landlord, Sakura grabbed his wrist and yanked him toward her house (he was sleeping a few yards away from his apartment).

"Sakura? What're you doing?" Naruto asked as the girl tugged him inside.

"You aren't living outside on my watch!" she growled, slipping her shoes off.

"What about your parents? Won't they be mad?" Naruto asked as Sakura stopped in front of a pair of adults. They smiled at Sakura, and then turned their attention to her guest.

"Mom, dad, this is my friend Naruto. He has nowhere to stay right now so-"

"No." her fathers answer cut off Sakura's words sharply before she finished. They glared directly at the boy, already aware of what he was. He tried to avoid their eyes.

"But why?" Sakura demanded. "He wont cause any trouble, and-"

"We said no." her mother spoke now, in a flat, overruling tone. The pink haired kunoichi heard a soft 'Heh' next to her.

"It's fine Sakura. I knew they'd say no anyway." He smiled up at them. "Nice meeting you though!" Naruto began to walk to the door when he heard Sakura's father say, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you challenging us? What do you mean 'you knew we'd say no? Are you implying that were bad parents? Hunh?!" Naruto turned straight toward him and sighed before replying in his sweetest, most innocent voice, "Of course your good parents. After all you're protecting her from me aren't you? Any parent would. I didn't mean to make it sound like a challenge." And with that he strode out the door. Sakura turned to her parents, scowling.

"Could you have been more rude? You let everyone else I bring home in just fine!" She fumed, stomping toward the door in attempt to pursue Naruto, but her father grabbed her.

"No, Sakura. He's a bad influence. A delinquent. I don't want him here again." He seethed. Sakura yanked away before stating fiercely, "then I'll live outside with him!"

Naruto was lost in thought, lying on his mattress, when suddenly it sunk to the left. Turning, he saw that Sakura had lay down next to him, facing the opposite way.

"What's up?" he asked casually. She didn't answer. He nudged her gently.

"…My parents are watching us. I told them that if they wouldn't let you stay, I'd live out here with you." She finally muttered. Naruto slid over to give her more room.

"You sure you wanna do that? It's supposed to rain tonight. I don't want you to get sick. Especially with your parents worrying about you." The blonde warned. "Don't give them another excuse to blame me for your corruption." He laughed after that, Sakura joining in soon after. After they calmed down, they conversed until the expected rain began dripping from the sky. Naruto handed Sakura the blanket, and she curled deep into it, soon swept into darkness by sleep. After making sure she was really asleep, he slid his hands under her and carried her toward her home where her parents still waited, watching his every move from their window. He didn't even need to knock.

"Here. She's wet, and I warned her, but she's persistent. I'm sure she wont get sick if you get her warmed up. Goodnight." He handed the kunoichi to her father, who took her without a word before slamming the door in his face. He went back to his mattress, yanked his soggy blanket over himself and shivered. It was freezing! After curling as tight as possible, he managed to get to sleep.

Sakura woke in her bed, comfortable, but shocked. Had her parents…? She shot downstairs, where her parents enjoyed breakfast.

"You brought me in?!" she yelled.

"We planned to, but that boy brought you in first. He was worried that you might get sick." Her mother explained quietly, sipping her drink seconds after.

"And him?" the pink-haired girl demanded, stomping closer. She looked furious.

"Halfway through the night, I checked on him." That was all her mother said. Sakura ran outside to where Naruto was still sleeping. It had stopped raining, but his blanket was heavy with water. She went to shake him awake, but the moment her hands met his shoulder, she pulled them away. He was so cold that he felt almost frozen. She could see him shivering in his sleep, something she hadn't noticed before because she was rushing. Panicking, she shook him for real this time, gaining no positive response. He groaned, pallid face tilting slightly. Finally she hauled him up, he was ridiculously light, and began dragging him toward her door. The only thing left to do was tell off her stubborn parents.

"Move!" she shouted as they blocked the entrance. " I'm serious! He might be sick!" Her desperate words didn't cut it. They absolutely wouldn't have him in their house. Tears poured down her face. She struggled to push them, to no avail. Finally she gave up pushing her unmovable obstacle.

"Please… at least help me make sure he's alright…" she sobbed gently, sinking to her knees. Her head bowed just above Naruto's chest, hearing the harsh uneven breaths escape between his lips. Sakura's mother looked like she was about to give in for her daughters' sake. Not to mention the boy looked on the verge of freezing to death.

"M-maybe we can bring him to the hospital?" Sakura tried again, "Because you're too good to have someone like Naruto in our house." She sniffled as her glare met her fathers' unnaturally cold eyes.

"You don't understand." He growled. "I have a reason to want him far away."

"Why's that, dad? Just cuz' he hosts Kyuubi? Is that what it is?" Sakura knew she'd be in trouble for this later, but she continued, "Naruto doesn't act like the fox! Why does everyone think that?!"

"Who told you?" her mother asked, shocked. Sakura ignored the question, instead trying to keep Naruto on her back. If she couldn't go into her own house with him, then shed just have to take Naruto to the hospital.


	7. Chapter 7

" So… he's in the hospital because of hypothermia

" So… he's in the hospital because of hypothermia?" Kakashi asked when Sakura appeared alone for training the next day. She nodded in reply.

"He got evicted and had to sleep outside. My parents wouldn't stay at my place because he's…" Kakashi nodded in understanding before asking, "How bad is he? I mean, how long is he going to be there?" thinking, the pink haired kunoichi tried to remember what the doctor had told her.

"Well, he hadn't woken up yet when I visited him this morning, and the doctor had told me the hypothermia was severe, so it may be a while… but visiting him this morning, his face looked extremely lonely, even though he was asleep. It got me thinking of how much of a jerk I was to him when Sasuke was still here." She looked almost surprised at herself when she finished talking. Had she said all that aloud?

"Well, does Iruka know? Naruto's always welcome there. Iruka wouldn't mind the company either. By the way Sakura, this training was a team project, so I guess today's lesson is canceled." Kakashi grinned before turning on his heel to leave. Sakura nodded.

"Iruka. Okay me, I guess were going to the academy." She sighed, walking away from the training field too.

"Sure. When he gets out of the hospital, I'll let Naruto stay at my house. As a matter of fact… Sakura, would you mind telling me where all his things are?" Iruka grinned after Sakura explained her friends' situation. Classes had just ended, so her and the teacher had begun casually strolling toward where Naruto had been staying. His boxes and mattress were there, blanket soaking in a puddle close by. Both frown at the sight before grabbing a box each. At Iruka's home, they began picking through their contents, looking for anything dry. His four matching outfits were wet but unharmed, as was his scrolls and dishware. They were all in Sakura's box. In Iruka's box was Naruto's 'team seven' photo, framed, but slightly warped from moisture. That was stacked on top of a spare set of pajamas, his old goggles, a calendar, the stack of papers, which were badly smudged, and lastly, his savings jar. The orange letters ran together, but its contents were fine. Picking the clothing from the pile, Iruka quickly went outside to hang them while Sakura was left with the task of lining the wet papers to dry. She couldn't read a single word on any of the papers from the stack. They had all been reduced to bars of black ink. She instead put them aside for further contemplation later. Her eyes fell upon his team seven picture next. _'Such a shame the picture was wrecked'_ she thought, staring at it. After a minute, she put that aside too. Iruka rejoined her at that point, stating that there were still two boxes left to grab. She smiled as she got up to follow him outside again.

One of the last two boxes contained Naruto's ramen stock, barely covering the bottom of the cardboard box. Sighing, Sakura pulled it out and stacked it beside her.

"Well at least now we can get some healthy food into him." Iruka stated, opening the last box. Sakura leaned over to take a peek too. Inside was Naruto's wall hanging all rolled up neatly, a couch pillow, and a still deflated froggie wallet.

"He doesn't have much does he? Well, he can have my spare room upstairs, so we should go get him a new mattress. His old one is kinda tatty." The teacher explained before lifting a pile of Naruto's belongings into his long arms and walking toward a nearby flight of stairs. Sakura followed with whatever Iruka had missed. The guest room was small, but cozy. She laid the items in a corner; same as teacher, before following him back downstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Naruto, you sure you're well enough to be up? I mean, the doctor said about a week or more, but only three days?" Sakura argued as Naruto struggled to his feet. He was shaky, having just woken up, but stayed standing with the help of the hospital bed.

"I'm fine 'tebayo." He reassured her with his usual lopsided grin, though he still had a slight fever burning in his cheeks. Knowing she couldn't convince him otherwise, Sakura told him the good news instead, mentioning how he was gonna stay at Iruka's place until he had enough for a new home of his own.

"All your things are already there, new bed and bureau compliments of Iruka sensei. We don't want you freezing to near death again?" She offered her hand and half supported him as he staggered into a partially slumped walk. Helping him walk was no big deal; he was feather light and moving on his own to a point. Though he'd been asleep almost three days, he looked surprisingly under-rested, Sakura noticed, studying his face. He was quiet on the trek to Iruka's, walking on his own halfway there.

"Is everything okay, Naruto? You seem kinda… down. Its worrying me." Sakura stated, ending so she could see his face. He was grinning, blue eyes gleaming happily.

"No problems, Sakura. Just tire I guess." He laughed as she gave him a quick whack.

"How the heck are you tired?! You've been napping almost three days!" they walked into Iruka's house, debating who had the more logical excuse on the matter.

"Sleeping for three days would leave anyone else well rested!" Sakura.

"Well, I was sick!" Naruto.

"Either of you two want some lunch?" Iruka. He had three bowls of ramen already on the table, steaming with ramen-y goodness. Naruto was first to the table, picking the fullest bowl and wolfing half of it down before Sakura even sat down. Iruka smiled as Naruto sucked down the remainder of his noodles and asked for seconds. He was back to normal.

"Naruto, you shouldn't eat so fast after not eating real food for three days. You'll-" Sakura started to say before the blonde charged to the bathroom and hurled up all his food. "-Throw up from a shrunk stomach." The kunoichi finished, grinning victoriously. He soon returned, glaring daggers at his teammate, who promptly stuck her tongue out at his foolishness. Iruka sighed, a smile of his own forming at the corners of his mouth.

Ino heard the familiar arguing between familiar friends while she was walking toward the market. She could've gone on her merry way, but she instead poked her head through the open window nearby.

"Hey! Naruto, Sakura! What's up?" She called, beaming at them playfully.

"Hello Ino. Come on in!" Iruka invited happily as he washed the dishes form lunch. She took a second to move from the window to the door, stepping in gracefully. After a moment of looking around, her eyes fell upon the pair of friends that had drawn her near. She devilishly smirked as she walked closer, a weird idea popping into her warped mind.

"So Sakura… You and Naruto official now? I mean... you hang out with him every day so…" She stopped and waited for a response, evil smirk growing. It took a second to sink in but Sakura finally realized what had been said and exploded, face turning red.

"WHAT! NARUTO IS JUST A FRIEND! HE'S GOING THROUGH HELL, THAT'S WHY WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER A LOT!! YOU GOT THAT, INO-PIG?!" Sakura erupted sharply, shaking the whole house and at least 300 square feet around her. Naruto who had been next to her was positive he would go deaf his ears twitching in pain. Iruka had grinded his teeth together quite sharply at the outburst, and was positive he had scratched a layer off of all of them. Ino was very satisfied with the effects and decided it smart to vanish quickly. Sakura was ready, taking two steps after her threateningly.

"Come again soon…" Iruka smiled politely, still dazed. Naruto waved goodbye too, before grabbing Sakura so she wouldn't chase and slaughter her rival.


	9. Chapter 9

"I can't believe that happened!" Sakura raged, stomping away from her blonde friend. He followed, still red faced and trying to explain.

"It was an accident, I swear!" He apologized chasing her all the way up through town.

_Flashback-_

"_Sakura let it go! You cant kill Ino. It's not worth it!" Naruto tried to explain, grabbing her arm as she struggled against his hold. He must've tugged too hard because she tripped back toward him. She turned to gain her balance, but it was already too late. Her lips slammed against his hard enough to knock them both down. At that point she'd forgotten about Ino. Her eyes were locked on his, as strongly as her lips. For a moment, she thought she felt something. _'What're you crazy? It's just shock.'_ She reassured herself forcefully, pulling away, 'but still…' _

"_Sakura… I'm sor-" he started, still in a state of utter surprise. He was madly blushing, probably matching her own heated face. She couldn't think of how to respond without sounding mean, especially if she really didn't feel that way. _'Maybe I did like… no, no,NO! That's weird… isn't it? I mean, we're just friends…'_ her inner self battled with her emotions. She couldn't think straight. She needed to get out for a bit._

_-End flashback_

"Sakura!" he whined. This was not how he wanted to spend his afternoon. She was leading him in circles. Finally the kunoichi paused, letting the blonde catch up.

"Naruto." She said, turning to face him. He looked surprised, but said nothing in response. Sakura sighed before continuing, "Naruto, what happened today… I know it was an accident. But, there was something strange about it. n-not in a bad way or anything, but it still didn't feel right." He tilted his head slightly in thought, then grinned.

"Sakura, I think I get what you're saying, but just to make sure… can we do it again sometime? I didn't see anything wrong with kissing the person I care most about." Sakura looked at him carefully, but he seemed to be serious about what he said.

"I can't see why everyone hates you, you know. You're just too… nice? Funny? You're… the best friend I've ever had!" Sakura smiled back, cheeks as pink as her hair. "So what if you're the carrier of a demon. I know well enough that its not you. Naruto, I'd love to kiss you again sometime." She felt stupid saying it, but it was good to get it out. She had fought between friendship and romance… love was the victor. Sasuke was never this kind to her. He always found her nothing more than a pain. But Naruto had been there 100 of the time, as a friend, as a guide, and now as a… Naruto was worth way more than what everyone claimed. He was himself and that was all he needed to be.


	10. Chapter 10, a note frum me!

Authors' notes…

_Authors' notes…_

_I was soooooo bored. This idea sat in my mind for a while and soon I played it out in my head a few times. All that was left was to type it. Honestly, I hate it, but it seemed such a waste of effort to trash it, so I posted this random idea and sure enough… I got a note that said it was good. It also said that my story should end with a pairing._

_Whoa… didn't expect that. Not good at love stories as you can plainly see. AND if I type my chapters longer, the story would go on forever (Not to be mean or anything, but I have an overactive imagination, so…) well, I am happy to be done. I wish to post better stories in the future, and I hope to get comments on this. Any opinion, good or bad._

_THANX FOR READING!!_

_-K_

_By the way- I can write a really short 'what happened after the story ended' page if you ask me to. No guarantees it'll be good, but still…_


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